


Safe and Sound

by okay_klepto



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Arthur has in baby daughter, F/M, Fatherhood, Fluff, Gen, married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-11-18 19:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18125765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okay_klepto/pseuds/okay_klepto
Summary: Some nights, Arthur's past haunts his sleep, but he's not the only one having a sleepless night.  When his baby begins to cry of hunger in the night, father Arthur is more than happy to spend some time relaxing by the fire with his daughter in his arms.





	Safe and Sound

**Author's Note:**

> Arthur + babies = my heart exploding.

   The sight of bloodied bodies and the sound of hellish screams and gunfire filled Arthur’s mind, but it all faded as soon as he opened his eyes.  It was dark, the moon only illuminating a small portion of the room through the window.  Arthur was sweating despite feeling icy cold, and his body trembled. It had been so long since Arthur had even thought about that life he used to live, yet it still haunted him.

   Arthur turned to see his wife fast asleep next to him, completely unaware of the terror that had awoken him.  But that wasn’t unusual; she was a deep sleeper, and Arthur’s movements never woke her. Arthur was about to roll over and try to get some more sleep when a little voice caught his attention.  He turned to forward, towards the crib that stood at the foot of the bed. The little person inside waved their arms and kicked their legs, letting out another whimper.

   Arthur stood and looked a few strides over to the crib.  He looked in at his baby before putting his hand down in and stroking her fine hair with a finger.

   “What’s wrong, baby?”

   The baby whined again, and Arthur could see the discomfort in her face.

   “Can’t sleep either, huh?”  Arthur scooped his daughter up as gingerly as he could, holding her close to his chest.  “Let’s get you something to eat.”

   The baby continued to fuss as Arthur walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen in search of a baby bottle.  Arthur adjusted his baby and tucked her in one arm as he retrieved a bottle and some evaporated milk. His baby whined again, reaching up and tugging at Arthur’s pajamas.

   “Just hold on, sweetheart.  You’re gonna get something to eat soon.”

   It was difficult to get the milk in the bottle then put the rubber nipple on top all with one hand, but Arthur had no intention of putting his daughter down.  He would just have to struggle.

   After a minute, the bottle was filled and sealed, and Arthur made his way to the fireplace, baby and bottle in tow.  He sat down in the rocking chair by the fire, letting out a deep breath.  He adjusted his daughter in his arms.

   “Here you go.”  Arthur put the bottle to the baby’s lips and she began sucking right away, little fists and legs beginning to still.  “Hungry, huh?”

   Arthur slowly rocked back and forth, staring down at his child.  Sitting in the chair reminded him of when his daughter was first born, and his wife would sit by the fire and feed their daughter from her breast.  Arthur would stare at them, amazed to suddenly have two wonderful ladies in his life. He looked down again, his daughter’s eyelids beginning to grow heavy.

   “How’d I get so lucky?”  Arthur whispered as he bounced the little girl in the arm.  “I got your mother, now I get you. What made me deserve all of this?”

   Arthur looked up to the few photos he had sitting above the fireplace.  The first was a photo of his wedding day, both he and his wife smiling brightly.  The next the first family photo after his daughter was born.  There were two group photos of the gang: one when they were all young and one of them later on.  There were photos of his wife’s family, and finally, the photo Albert had given him all those years ago.  It seemed like it was all a dream - the robberies, the killing, the suffering. But now here he was, living in a house that had real walls that didn’t move, living with the woman he loved and married, and holding a little life that was very much his - and everyone was safe and happy.  And so was Arthur, for the first time in his life.

   “All done?”  Arthur removed the bottle from the baby’s lips and gave her one more little bounce before hefting her up onto his shoulder.  He walked out to the kitchen and put the bottle in the sink, giving the baby a few pats on the back. He pressed a long kiss to her tiny head as he went back to the bedroom.

   He held her for just a few more minutes before putting his daughter back to bed.  She was on the verge of falling asleep, and Arthur wanted her to be in his arms when she did so.  When her breathing slowing and her head lolled, Arthur placed her back down in the crib with one more kiss.  She looked so peaceful laying in there.

   Arthur made his way back into his bed as quietly as he could.

   “Arthur?”  His wife opened her eyes as best she could and looked at him.  “Everything alright?”

   “Yes,” Arthur whispered back.  “She was hungry.”

   His wife nodded and sleepily turned back over.  Arthur climbed in bed next to her, cuddling up to her back and putting his arms around her.  He put a kiss on her temple and nuzzled in her hair. Before long, Arthur was fast asleep, dreaming happy dreams of those he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> a very soft and happy yeehaw
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed this fic! Don’t forget to check out my [other works](https://archiveofourown.com/users/okay_klepto) as well. As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated, and please consider making a small [Ko-fi donation](https://ko-fi.com/okayklepto) if you enjoy my writing!


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